History Main / AssassinationAttempt

* Both versions of ''Film/TheManchurianCandidate'' end with the hypnotized soldier being ordered to assassinate the presidential nominee, so the hand-picked vice-presidential can become the nominee and hopefully become elected based on national sympathy.

* Creator/RobertAHeinlein's ''Literature/{{Friday}}''. While passing through the California Confederacy, Friday foils an assassination attempt on the Chief Confederate, John "Warwhoop" Tumbril.

* The serial killer in the ''Literature/JamesBond'' novel ''Literature/NeverSendFlowers'' has this as his gimmick. The climax of the book has him trying to assassinate [[spoiler:Princess Diana at Disneyland]].

** [[TokenEvilTeammate Tarkin, of all people]], is nearly killed in a suicide bombing by the Separatists using a Venator-class Star Destroyer loaded with lots of rhydonium in ''[[Recap/StarWarsTheCloneWarsS5E13PointOfNoReturn Point of No Return]]'' during the though D-Squad thankfully puts a stop to it.

* ''Franchise/StarWars'': ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' opens with two assassination attempts on Senator Padmé Amidala, forcing her into hiding, protected by Jedi apprentice Anakin Skywalker.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsRebels'': In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E15ThroughImperialEyes "Through Imperial Eyes"]], the TheMole reprograms Grand Admiral Thrawn's assassin droids to get rid of the OverrideCommand and sics them on Thrawn in his office. Although [[AssassinOutclassin the attempt fails]], it does succeed in the ''other'' goal of giving Ezra and Chopper the opportunity to escape from Thrawn's office, where they'd been forced to hide when he came in.

* ''Literature/{{Presidential}}'': Connie is the victim of one while she's going to sign the gun bill into law at the US Capitol. [[spoiler:She's shot, but survives. However, two people are killed, and others wounded.]]

** UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln was murdered by stage actor and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth not long after the end of the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar.

** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy was sniped off by Lee Harvey Oswald. Jury's still out as to why he did it, or even [[WhoShotJFK if he did it]], because he was killed himself before he could stand trial.

** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy was sniped off by Lee Harvey Oswald. The jury's still out as to why he did it, or even [[WhoShotJFK if he did it]], because he was killed himself before he could stand trial.

** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy was sniped off by Lee Harvey Oswald. The jury's still out as to why he did it, or even [[WhoShotJFK if he did it]], because he died before he could stand trial.

** UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln
** UsefulNotes/JamesGarfield
** UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley
** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy

* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'': Considering that Jean-Luc Picard is famous across the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, the death squad Commodore Oh sends to his chateau in "The End Is the Beginning" qualifies as an assassination attempt of a public figure. The Zhat Vash commandos fail to take out Picard because he's protected by Laris and Zhaban, who are ex-Tal Shiar (the Romulan SecretPolice).

** Deathstroke attacks Batman in the Penguin's base and engages him in a three-phase duel using his BowStaff, katana, and grappling hook to no avail.

** Firefly is one of the last assassins to confront Batman. That's because he spent the night setting bombs up along the Pioneer's Bridge, forcing Batman to work with the GCPD to defuse the bombs while avoiding Firefly so he doesn't blow the bridge the hell as soon as he sees Batman on it.
** And lastly, there's the most dangerous of the assassins, Bane. He tries to take Batman head-on at the Royal Hotel before the fight gets broken up by the GCPD. Later, Bane forces Batman in a situation where he either has to die or kill one of his enemies, hoping to play on his "Thou Shalt Not Kill" policy. Batman tricks the Joker to get out of that, prompting Bane to take an extreme dose of his strength-enhancing drug, turning him into a snarling monster. Even then, Batman manages to fight Bane and defeat the final assassin.

Note that it isn't done by some angry commoner all the time. Sometimes, it may be a part of a GovernmentConspiracy. Maybe it was [[WhoShotJFK the CIA, or the Mafia, or the Vice President or the Russians]], because you [[HeKnowsTooMuch found out something you weren't supposed to]] or [[GreenEyedMonster the VP is jealous]].

The leaders of countries -- Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors, etc. -- are the most famous, rich, and powerful people in the world. Everybody from their home country at least knows about them because the fate of their nation may sometime depend on them (no stress!) and that goes for any political leader. Of course, for that same reason, some things a politician may do, say, or simply be may anger some people. And some people may be ''very'' angered to the point that they want to kill you with a blade, handgun, [[ColdSniper sniper rifle]], or bomb.

The leaders of countries -- Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors, etc. -- are the most famous, rich, and powerful people in the world. Everybody from their home country at least knows about them because the fate of their nation may sometime depend on them (no stress!) and that goes for any political leader. Of course, for that same reason, some things a politician may do, say, or simply be may anger some people. And some people may be ''very'' angered to the point that they want to kill you with a blade, handgun, rifle, or bomb.

The leaders of countries -- Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors, etc. -- are the most famous, rich, and powerful people in the world. Everybody from their home country at least knows about them because the fate of their nation may sometime depend on them (no stress!) and that goes for any politician. Of course, for that same reason, some things a politician may do, say, or simply be may anger some residents. And some residents may be ''very'' angered to the point that they want to threaten your life and therefore attempt to take it.

The leaders of countries -- Kings, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chancellors, etc. -- are the most famous, rich, and as a result powerful people in the world. Everybody from their home country at least knows about them because the fate of their nation may sometime depend on them (no stress!) and that goes for any politician. Of course, for that same reason, some things a politician may do, say, or simply be may anger some residents. And some residents may be ''very'' angered to the point that they want to threaten your life and therefore attempt to take it.

* ''Series/Daredevil2015'':
** Late in Season 1, Leland Owlsley and Madame Gao believe that Vanessa Marianna is [[YokoOhNo a bad influence]] on Wilson Fisk, so they conspire to poison her at a charity gala that Fisk is hosting, also poisoning several other people so that Fisk thinks she nearly died as a result of an assassination attempt on him.
** Twice in the Season 3 episode "Please". First, Wilson Fisk pays an inmate named Jasper Evans to shank him as part of his plans to manipulate the FBI (and Ray Nadeem specifically) into moving him to a hotel he secretly owns. While Fisk is being transferred, he's subject to an assassination attempt by gunmen working for the Albanian gang he snitched on to Nadeem, which is foiled by Dex.

* ''Series/TheWire'' Stringer Bell the second in command of the Barksdale organisation asks his chief muscle, Slim Charles to hit Clay Davis, a state senator, because Davis took a kickback from Bell without following through on the payoff. Charles shies away because while "murder ain't no thing" doing the hit would be "some assassination shit". The boss, Avon Barksdale points out [[DiscussedTrope that would need a]] "[[Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal Day Of the Jackal"]] type to pull it off and it would bring down every major law enforcement organisation in the country on their heads.

* A later arc in ''WesternAnimation/XMen'' forces the team to protect Senator Robert Kennedy from death, or be forced to endure a BadFuture (thanks to him becoming a martyr and inspiring a SuperheroRegistrationAct/genocide).

* [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20_July_plot The 20 July plot]] was when some of UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler's own soldiers attempted to assassinate him, which resulted in him getting minor injuries and having his [[ClothingDamage trousers blown off]].